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Saying that promotion is the key to the success of every business isn’t exactly breaking news. But, the way small business owners have to promote their business is changing. There are still many opportunities for business owners using traditional advertising methods. Introducing your company to new customers through print and digital media is very important. But how do you communicate with customers you already have?

Those loyal followers know who you are and the products you sell. They don’t need an introduction, they want a conversation. Social media offers you the opportunity to promote your brand to customers that are already engaged and aware of your business. Not to communicate just as a business, but as a trusted source for products, information and services. These consumers expect your voice to speak with them instead of speaking at them.

Here are five tips on how to use social media to promote your business.

1) Be Personal When you post updates, don’t be a robot. People appreciate creativity and humor. Remember when we talked about Newsjacking? The whole idea behind newsjacking was about how to use a current event and build exposure for your business. The most successful newsjackers do this with humor. It showcases their personality and that the brand has a sense of humor. However, it’s not just humor that fans want see, it’s humanity.

When Boston Mayor Thomas Menino passed away in 2014, Boston businesses remembered him for all the worked he did to help support the local economy.

"Do you mind if we put on some masks for our picture?" I asked him at our ribbon cutting."Why not?" Mister Mayor...

On holidays, like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, it’s not uncommon to see businesses post messages to their parents. Consumers love to feel that their business is a part of their community, and messages like these bring the social network closer together.

2) Be InteractiveDon’t just write posts to show that your brand is alive, create reasons for people to communicate with you. Ask your audience a question or see if they have an opinion. When they respond, acknowledge them. Fans of a brand or a famous person LOVE getting likes, or favorites or retweets. It continues to build that sense of community, that they are not just another consumer but a valued follower.

When your fans ask a question on social media, don’t ignore it. Respond to it. Even if the response is, “Thanks for asking this. We’ll check into it.” Provide that voice to show a fan that you care enough to at least write to them.

3) Be VisualDon’t just rely on text based social posts, share photos and videos too. People are more likely to interact with photos and videos.

4) Be Active The way to be found and communicate with your audience on social media is to be on social media. Do research to find out what demographics are using a particular social network. If you are looking to connect with a younger audience turn to Twitter and Instagram. If your audience is more professional use LinkedIn. You don’t necessarily need to be using all of the social platforms, but you should be a part of the online community your customers are using.

5) (Always) Be SellingDon’t forget the reason you have put your business on social media is to not just gain confidence and build a strong community, it’s to turn that community into active customers. Find ways to update your fans about new products and services. Offer exclusive sales and promotions through social pages. Your followers know that you are a business, so they expect and want to see these posts. Create a social network where your customers feel special about their relationship with your business.